Underneath The Mistletoe
by ThatBrownEyedIrishGirl
Summary: Lydia Martin hates Christmas. To her, it's a time filled with loneliness and unhappy memories of a family torn apart by a bitter divorce. All she wants to do is stay in bed all day, and eat take-out. Stiles Stilinski has other plans. Stydia Christmas fic. Fluff.


**Underneath The Mistletoe... Or Not**

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

Because it's Christmas, and I have feels.

**Summary**: Lydia Martin hates Christmas. To her, it's a time filled with lonliness and unhappy memories of a family torn apart by a bitter divorce. All she wants to do is stay in bed all day, and eat take-out. Stiles Stilinski has other plans.

* * *

"Honey, are you sure you don't mind?"

Lydia Martin rolled her eyes from where she sat at her vanity table. After reassuring her mother as much as possible in a polite voice, Lydia felt the familiar bubble of anger rise inside of her chest, and she turned her head sharply towards the woman standing in the doorway.

"Mom! I told you, I don't mind." Lydia stood, plastering a smile onto her face as she flounced over and gave her mother a tight hug. "Now go, you're going to be late for the girls."

Mrs. Martin sighed, brushing a strand of her daughter's hair behind Lydia's ear and pressing a kiss to Lydia's forehead.

"We'll only be gone until the 27th, okay? But if you need me before then, just call, and I'll be home before you know it."

Lydia smiled and nodded. "I know, mom. Have fun."

"I'll bring you back something nice. Something designer." Mrs. Martin winked, and Lydia laughed, walking her mother to the door to give her one last hug. Once the older woman was securely in her best friend's car and disappearing down the road, Lydia shut the front door again, shivering softly.

She leaned against the door, resting her head against it and taking a deep breath. The bright, colorful Christmas tree in the corner of the living room glared at her, and Lydia huffed, moving over to plug the damn thing out.

Christmas was always a dull affair for the strawberry blonde. She had loved the holiday as a little girl; getting all excited about presents, and she had always gone all out with decorating. She had been that girl in elementary school who brought special cookies every christmas before break, and handed out Christmas cards to everyone she knew. Family, friends, classmates... even the mail personal got a special, hand-made card from little Lydia Martin.

And then... her parents began to fight. They were fighting long before Christmas, and long after, but there was one memory in particular, one fight, that forever tainted the day for Lydia.

It had all started out beautifully. She had woken up bright and early at 5 AM like planned (no earlier; she had to get her beauty sleep) and had burst into her parents' room. Her first clue that something was wrong should have been the fact that her father wasn't in the bed, and was downstairs, sleeping on the couch. She had been too old to believe in Santa at the age of eleven, so he had told her he had simply fallen asleep there. Lydia, unaware of the tension, had made quick work of unwrapping all of her presents, thanking her parents profusely for the beauty supplies, the pink MP3 player, and the _Introduction to Archaic Latin _book they had given her (because she had grown tired of regular Latin, and her old MP3 had broken).

They attended Church despite them not being a very religious family, as it was a tradition her grandparents upheld. When her parents began whispering between themselves, their hand movements quick and their facial expressions dark, Lydia had been pulled aside by her grandfather, who distracted her by showing her a magic trick he had learned, and letting her explain just how he did it, proud of herself for figuring it out so quickly.

Looking back now, Lydia could have sensed the argument that was coming.

It had been horrible. The yelling, and the screaming, and the _crying_. Seeing your mother cry was something no little girl ever wanted to see, and hearing your father scream obscenities was something no little girl wanted to hear either. Dinner had passed, and her grandparents had gone home, leaving Lydia alone to deal with her hostile parents.

She had heard the wine bottle smash against the wall, after a small comment from her mother had set her father off. Her father had ranted and raved, shrieking about how marrying each other had been a huge mistake, how they never should have been together in the first place.

Lydia had huddled on the staircase, her palms pressed firmly over her ears, and tears rolling down her cheeks. Soon after, her father had stormed out, and her mother had run right by her, slamming her bedroom door behind herself. Lydia remained on the stairs, waiting for her father to come home.

He never did.

The divorce papers arrived two weeks later.

Lydia felt the stinging behind her nose, and bit the inside of her cheek hard, swallowing the lump in her throat. With a memory like that ingrained in her mind, it was hard to be filled with festive cheer. She had forgotten what a happy Christmas felt like, having spent so many alone.

For the first two years after that day, she and her mother would spend the holiday with her grandparents, but they had moved away a long while ago, and her mother had taken to going on trips with the friends who didn't have families to worry about, leaving Lydia alone.

Lydia always promised she didn't mind, that it was nice to have a day to herself, but she spent a lot of the time crying, a fact that nobody would know. Ever.

Because she would hate for anyone to know she was still upset about her father leaving. What if it got back to him? She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that she still cared.

Her phone buzzed on the countertop, a message from Allison. The brunette informed Lydia she would be on her way over in fifteen to collect her, and Lydia rushed upstairs to get ready, suddenly remembering the plans they had made coming up to winter break. The two girls, and Scott, Stiles and Isaac, were going to catch a movie and then get lunch afterwards, before saying their goodbyes until after Christmas. It was their mini Christmas celebration, one Lydia didn't mind indulging in. She loved her friends. It was the first group of people she ever felt like she belonged with. Maybe it was because they had all been through so much together, or maybe it was because they all had as many scars as she did. Either way, Lydia was happy to have them.

In order to combat the cold weather, Lydia dressed in skinny denim jeans, a cream knit sweater and brown ankle boots. She pulled on her soft red trench coat, and began applying her makeup. It was whilst she was doing her hair that she remembered something. Something very important. Something she kicked herself for forgetting about.

_Stiles_.

But more imporantly, the kiss she had shared with Stiles.

It wasn't like it was the first time since that she would be seeing him, but it was the first time they would be hanging out together, and not worrying about supernatural threats.

It seemed as though even _they_ took time off for Christmas.

The anxious butterflies fluttered about in her stomach, and she swallowed, taking a deep breath. Laughing slightly at her racing heart, Lydia admonished herself. It wasn't that big of a deal. So she had kissed him? It was to stop a panic attack, that was all. She would have done the same for...

It wasn't a big deal. Nope. Not one bit.

Lydia's shoulders slumped and she set down the tube of pink lipgloss, defeated.

She never had been a great liar.

The doorbell rang downstairs and Lydia hopped up, grabbing her purse and skipping down the steps. Her grin was wide, though it didn't quite reach her eyes, and Allison grinned back.

"Ready to go?"

* * *

They met Scott and Isaac outside, who told them Stiles had already arrived and was busy stocking up at the concession stand.

After some momentary awkwardness between the ex-couple and possibly new couple, they were all heading inside out of the cold. Lydia couldn't help the smile that fell across her lips when she caught sight of Stiles, struggling to keep his goods from falling onto the floor. Lydia slid up beside him, taking a bucket of popcorn that was tipping over dangerously from his arms, and laughing.

"We are getting lunch afterwards, you know that, right?"

Stiles sent her a lopsided smile, and shrugged with one shoulder, talking around the bag of Twizzlers he carried in his mouth.

"I got room."

Lydia tried not to smile as she shook her head.

"Dude, you're not gonna eat all that, are you?" Isaac asked, his eyes widening at the lot.

Stiles nodded, and Isaac turned to Scott, who simply nodded too, a grin on his face.

"Never doubt Stiles's ability to eat."

Lydia, feeling brave, grabbed the back of twizzlers from Stiles's mouth, wiping the top off his shirt sleeve before tearing open the bag.

"Hey!"

She smiled cheekily, waving the twizzler she had just taken a bite of in front of his face.

"Sharing is caring?"

"Sharing is overrated." Stiles replied, snapping his teeth and grabbing the twizzler from her hand. She squealed, and slapped his arm, rolling her eyes as she reached for another.

Scott laughed,"Anyone want to share a large popcorn with me?"

Isaac agreed, and Allison proposed the same for herself and Lydia. Lydia nodded, and Allison followed after Isaac and Scott, getting in line behind them. Lydia heard Allison mention that real gentlemen let ladies go first, and then she chuckled when Scott and Isaac burst into laughter, with Scott calling out teasingly; "You snooze, you lose!".

Allison scoffed, folding her arms over her chest, sharing a pointed look with Lydia that clearly said,"_Boys_..."

She heard Stiles yelp behind her, and whirled around, frowning.

"What?"

"I got a chocolate bar."

Lydia's eyes widened and she looked him up and down,"Where is it?"

"Sliding down my pants." Stiles pursed his lips,"Help."

"Why would you put it down your pants?!"

"I didn't! I put it at the waistband..."

"Why?"

"I only have two hands, Lydia."

Lydia scoffed, her hands hesitating in the air.

"This is the weirdest thing I have ever had to do."

Stiles pulled a face,"This is the weirdest thing I've ever had done... well, actually..."

Lydia shot him a look that shut him up. She realised later she probably could have just taken the drink from Stiles's hand so he could grab the chocolate bar himself, but with him hopping up and down, Lydia's hand shot out and lifted his t-shirt up over his hip. The top of the bar was just barely visibly, and her knuckles brushed against his skin as she grabbed it just as Isaac and Scott reached them.

She grabbed Isaac's wrist and turned his palm up, dropping the chocolate treat in his hand,"Here, hold this. It was down Stiles's pants."

She heard Stiles clear his throat, chuckling embarrassedly as she flounced off to help Allison carry the drinks. She reached Allison, who raised an eyebrow once she saw Lydia's soft grin.

"What's so funny?"

"Just... Stiles being Stiles. Come on, the movie is starting."

* * *

They had decided to go and see _Frozen_, and with Stiles, Scott and Isaac bickering about something or other, Lydia decided they didn't actually stick out like sore thumbs amongst the kids inside. Allison signalled with her eyes that she wasn't about to sit in between her ex and her new interest, so Lydia allowed her to take the aisle seat, leaving her beside Stiles.

Her mood was genuinely lifted throughout the movie, and she found herself enjoying it. They were shushed once by an angry old man down front after they had burst out laughing during what was supposed to be a tense moment. During the movie, Stiles had lifted the seat's arm that separated his seat from Scott, and the two boys had made a show about cuddling, copying the overenthusiastic young couple in front of them, complete with loving looks and face touching.

Lydia and Allison both covered their faces, shrinking down in their seats to try and make it seem like they weren't associated with the two boys, whilst Isaac took a picture, howling with laughter when Scott and Stiles went as far as posing.

They were still giggling about it by the time the movie ended. Allison skipped down the steps, over excited after the caffeine of her Coke had hit her system. The boys decided the stairs weren't for them, and took to climbing over the seats in a race, leaving Lydia to call out their names sternly as she carefully made her way down, careful not to trip in her heels.

The group of extraordinary teenagers separated and met up at the food court, where Lydia couldn't stop her eyes from rolling as they passed a group of carrolers.

She hoped the little slip had gone unnoticed by her friends, as Lydia had assumed her stereotypical eager, and totally fake, attitude towards Christmas around them this year.

But her luck of the day had run out, and Isaac let out a snort.

"Christmas cheer finally wearing you down, Lydia?"

She scowled at him,"No. I just... don't like that song. Harmony is way off."

"Of course it is." Scott chuckled,"I drove by her house yesterday and boy, it's like she bought out an entire store full of decorations."

"That was my mom." Lydia said, folding her arms,"I told her they were stupid."

"I think they're cute." Stiles shrugged,"I mean, it's a miracle my dad even put up lights this year. I would kill to have my house look like yours."

Isaac slugged Stiles in the shoulder teasingly,"Maybe we should take you to see Santa while we're here."

Stiles scoffed,"Please... he's not the real Santa."

Allison giggled, and then frowned, glancing back to Lydia,"Wait... didn't you say your mom was going to Salt Lake City with her friends this year?"

Lydia looked from each of her friend's faces back to Allison, and then down at her shoes. "Yeah."

"Christmas is tomorrow." Stiles commented, a slight frown on his face.

"Thank you, I had no idea." Lydia snapped, and immediately felt bad,"She's had it planned for a while now."

"You're gonna be on your own for Christmas?" Stiles asked softly. Lydia quickly shook her head, mustering a smile.

"I'm going to my grandparents' house for the holidays..."

Scott, Isaac and Allison instantly smiled, happy with that, changing the topic back to where they would go for lunch, leaving Lydia relieved. She locked eyes with Stiles, who was looking at the ground, seemingly lost in thought, an almost sombre expression on his face.

They decided on pizza, and once again, Lydia split with Allison. Stiles made his usual jokes, scarfing down an entire pizza without even breaking a sweat, though his joyful attitude seemed to be lacking just a slight bit.

After lunch, some last minute shopping was in order. Scott and Isaac headed for the video game store, and when Lydia noticed Stiles had disappeared, she assumed he had gone with them.

Shopping with Allison was filled with talking about Scott and Isaac, to which Lydia tried her best to be a good friend and pay attention, though found she couldn't. The realisation that after today, all of her friends were going home to family and a nice Christmas weighed heavy on her mind, grabbing her once happy mood and stomping it to pieces.

Stiles popped out of nowhere when they were testing out perfumes, just as Allison unknowingly positioned the glass bottle right in front of his face, and sprayed.

The boy coughed and spluttered, letting out a small sneeze as the fruity scent attacked his senses.

"Oh, it burns!"

"Stiles!" Allison squeaked,"I'm so sorry!"

"Ow... hm, that's not bad actually."

Lydia frowned,"Where are Isaac and Scott?"

"Chasing a cat?" Stiles snorted,"I don't know. They were with you."

"I thought you went with them?"

"No."

"So where did you -?" Lydia cut herself off,"Never mind."

"Never mind what?" Scott questioned as he and Isaac met up with them. Allison shook her head, waving the question off before apologizing to Stiles again, and going to buy the perfume.

The boys were disappointed to find out that once last minute shopping was over, window shopping had begun. Allison and Lydia stopped outside a jewellery store, gasping and pointing at pretty rings and necklaces.

"Oh, that one's so pretty!" Lydia exclaimed, pointing at a simple silver necklace in the corner. The chain held a gorgeous silver butterfly, and Lydia and Allison cooed over it for a few seconds before moving on.

Nobody noticed Stiles slip into the store.

Lydia returned home at around six o'clock that evening. She let Prada out, and went to make dinner for herself, popping a frozen meal into the microwave.

Not exactly healthy, but she was in need of comfort, hence the powdered donut she muched down on as she waited for the microwave to beep and relinquish her evening meal.

Once Prada was inside and the unappetising food was on a plate, Lydia settled down in front of the tv. Her food was gone quickly, and she sighed, flipping the television remote control over and over in her hands. She wasn't sure how long she stayed there before she fell asleep.

* * *

Barking was what awoke her on that Christmas morning. Though, really, it was more of an incessant yapping.

Sprawled out on the couch, Lydia was too sleepy and melancholic to care about her dog's volume, up until the point she heard someone tell him to be quiet. Then she shot up, on the defensive.

Stiles was in her living room, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Stiles!"

"Morning, sleeping beauty."

"How did you even get in here?!" She shrieked, running her hands through her hair. She stood up, crossing her arms over herself.

Stiles sheepishly held up the spare key they kept under the potted plant on the porch,"You need a new place to hide your key."

Lydia grumbled, moving to snatch the key from him and she tossed it onto the coffee table.

"I told mom we needed a better hiding place."

Stiles smiled, and Lydia shook her head, looking at him expectantly.

"What?"

"Why are you here?"

"Oh, right, um... I'm taking you somewhere."

"Huh?"

"Just... you go get dressed." Stiles planted his hands on her shoulders and turned her in the direction of the stairs,"Trust me."

"Why won't you tell me where we're going?"

"Because that would ruin the surprise. Now go on."

Lydia huffed and hurried up the stairs. She took a quick shower, straightened her hair and got dressed. When she arrived back downstairs, Stiles was down on the floor, playing around with Prada.

Lydia paused on the stairs, smiling softly.

Stiles glanced up and caught her eye,"You got his lead?"

"It's in the kitchen, why?"

Stiles plucked the little dog up and held him close,"We can't leave him here all on his lonesome. Can we, boy?" In response, Prada began licking Stiles's jaw. "Aw, I love you, too, buddy. You're so cute, yes you are."

Lydia raised an eyebrow, moving to go and fetch Prada's lead,"Would you two like some time alone?"

"Don't mind her, she's just jealous of what we have. Yes."

Lydia snorted, and grabbed Prada's lead, pursing her lips in thought. If she was allowed to bring Prada with her, then it must be somewhere dog-friendly. And Stiles-friendly.

That knocked a ton of options off of the list.

She wordlessly handed the lead to Stiles, who clipped it on, grabbing Lydia's wrist and pulling her out of her house. She locked the place up, smiling shyly when Stiles held the door open for her. Jackson had never been one for chivalry.

Once inside the car, Stiles turned to her, a serious expression on his face.

"Do you trust me?"

Lydia narrowed her eyes suspiciously,"Generally? Yes. Right now? Not sure..."

Stiles rolled his eyes,"I'm going to blindfold you."

"Are you kidnapping me?"

"Yes, Lydia, I'm kidnapping you. So, do me a favor and be a good little hostage." Stiles remarked dryly. "No! I'm not kidnapping you; just let me blindfold you. Please? It's a surprise."

"I don't like surprises."

"Humor me."

Lydia exhaled heavily and complied, closing her eyes. A few seconds later, an eye mask was set over her eyes. The band at the back snapped against her head, and she whined. Stiles apologised, and even went as far as rubbing the spot gently.

"Can you see?"

"No."

"Good."

"You better not be kidnapping me."

"I'm not kidnapping you!"

"That's what a kidnapper would say."

"Lydia!" Stiles exclaimed, chuckling,"Just trust me, alright? You're gonna love this... or kick me for this. Either way, you'll get some enjoyment from it."

The drive seemed relatively short, and Lydia had to resist the urge to take a peek at her surroundings. Prada sat patiently in her lap, and she cuddled into him to pass the time. Stiles filled the air with conversation that she returned easily.

The car jolted and came to a stop after what Lydia assumed was twenty minutes. She felt Stiles squeeze her knee and the boy told her to wait there. Lydia heard him climb out, and a few seconds later, she heard a thud and a quiet curse before her door opened. Prada jumped out, and she kept a tight hold on his lead to make sure he didn't run off.

"Can I take the blindfold off now?"

"Nope."

"How am I supposed to walk?"

"I'll help you."

"Oh, God..."

She could invision the disgruntled look on his face as he sarcastically thanked her for the faith she held in him. Lydia smirked back, and then gasped softly when his arms slid around her, lifting her out of the jeep.

As fast as she was floating, her feet were planted on the ground again, Stiles's hands remaining at her hips.

"I could have just stepped out."

"Yeah, but that was more fun." Stiles smirked, carefully guiding the beautiful girl towards the oh so secretive location. He unlocked the door, and there were a few more steps before Lydia spoke again.

"Stiles, seriously, what is happening?"

"You just can't enjoy this, can you?"

"Not when I have no idea what's going on!"

There was a laugh that confused her, and Lydia frowned behind the eye mask.

"Is that Isaac?"

"Damn it..."

"Way to go, dude."

"Scott?"

"Oh, crap. Ow! Allison!"

Stiles scoffed, and Lydia reached up, pulling the eye mask down to her neck,"Okay, what is going on?"

"Merry Christmas!"

Her green eyes widened, taking in the group of people standing in the room. Sheriff Stilinski was in the corner, proudly smiling at his son. Melissa McCall was beside him, eyes shining as Scott, Allison and Isaac went to hug Lydia. Mr. Argent remained in the other corner, smiling warmly and giving her a nod as he took a sip of his eggnog.

Lydia stepped back from Allison, confusedly looking to Stiles.

"What is this?"

"Your kidnapping."

Lydia slugged his shoulder, rolling her eyes playfully. Stiles feigned a pained expression, and then grinned.

"It's Christmas." He shrugged,"Nobody should spend Christmas alone."

"So," Allison beamed. "Stiles set all of this up."

"We've all lost a lot these past few months." Scott slung his arm over Stiles's shoulder. Isaac stuck his hands in his pockets, smiling shyly.

"And I've learned there are two types of family. Blood relation... and what we have."

Lydia sniffled, reaching out to squeeze her best friend's arm. She sent a wide, watery, genuine smile over her shoulder at Stiles, whose eyes bore into hers, sparkling with accomplishment.

"Stiles..."

"_And_ you told me that your grandparents moved to _Georgia_, so... you spending Christmas with them was clearly a lie."

"You remembered I told you that?"

Stiles's lips tugged up in one side,"I remember most of what you tell me. You know, except for the '_Stiles, don't touch the hot stove'_, or, '_Stiles, open the door before you try to run through it_...'"

Lydia giggled, turning to look at Sheriff Stilinski,"You don't mind all of this?"

The kind-hearted man tipped his glass towards her,"The more the merrier... Merry Christmas, Lydia."

"Now," Stiles clapped his hands together,"We've established that I wasn't kidnapping you, so I think... it's dinner time!"

"It's noon." Melissa snorted, ruffling the boy's dark hair.

"Your point being?"

Everyone laughed, and Sheriff Stilinski herded them into the dining room. Just as Stiles went to follow the others, he suddenly stopped. "Oh! I got you something."

"What?" Lydia gave him a disapproving look,"You didn't have to. Besides, I didn't get you anything; that was the deal. No presents."

"You saved me from drowning in Dr. Deaton's office. Consider this repayment."

"I held you under..."

"Well, you brought me back." Stiles returned to his spot in front of her,"Just take the present. Don't make me beg."

Chortling, Lydia took the shiny silver gift bag. She reached inside, and took out the small, wrapped present. Smiling at him, she eagerly unwrapped the gift and opened the small, pink box. The familiar silver necklace glittered back at her, and she gasped quietly.

"Stiles..."

"You fell in love with it at the mall, and the woman said it was the last one. It was meant to be."

Lydia's eyes welled up, and she sniffled quietly. She set the box on the shelf behind her, turning away from him to hide her tears of happiness. This wasn't the type of crying she had had in mind for this day.

"Lydia, why are you crying?"

"'Cause it's perfect. All of this is perfect." Lydia turned back around and wrapped her arms around his neck. Stiles smiled, his arms winding around her back and tugging her close.

Clearing his throat, Stiles blushed as he pulled back to look at her. Lydia refused to let go of him, keeping her hands locked around the back of his neck, and his hands remained at her waist, his thumb stroking small circles against her jumper, making a gentle shiver run up her spine.

"Merry Christmas, Lyd..."

"Merry Christmas, Stiles." She beamed happily, looking up at him from under her eyelashes. Biting the inside of her bottom lip, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his softly.

It was a quick, soft kiss that still managed to leave them both breathless, their hearts racing as sparks ignited between them. Lydia's ghost of a smile left Stiles grinning like, literally, a kid on Christmas. Stiles grew braver, and placed another kiss on the corner of her lips.

He then paused, whispering against her mouth.

"Is there mistletoe above us?"

Lydia grinned, placing one last smooch against his soft lips before skipping off into the kitchen, her gift cradled in her hands.

"Nope!"

Stiles watched her go, chuckling when she gave him a wide grin before disappearing into the dining room. He shook his head, sighing happily before following her in, stopping to pump his fist victoriously in the air.

"Best. Christmas. Ever."

* * *

**Happy Holidays, fellow Stydia shippers! Hope you have a really great Christmas, and an even better New Year!**

**_Megan x_**


End file.
